European Union member states have approved a proposal to reinstate a temporary measure allowing Google, Meta and other online platforms to detect and remove online child sexual abuse material without breaching the bloc’s privacy rules.
The endorsement by all 27 member states on Thursday came two weeks after the European Parliament approved the stopgap measure, which is intended to bridge the legal gap while negotiations continue on permanent legislation to tackle online child sexual abuse.
The temporary rules, which were in force from 2021 until they expired in April this year, will now remain valid until 3 April 2028.
Irish Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan said the extension would close the legal gap created by the expiry of the previous measure.
“With the green light given, we have moved quickly to address the legal gap that existed when the derogation to the ePrivacy Regulation lapsed in April,” O’Callaghan said in a statement.
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The member states also approved an amendment proposed by lawmakers exempting end-to-end encrypted messaging services, including WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal, from the temporary rules.
However, they stressed that the exemption should not be interpreted as a commitment to exclude encrypted communications from any future permanent legislation.
The issue has highlighted deep divisions between advocates of stronger online child protection measures and privacy campaigners, who argue that broader monitoring powers could undermine digital privacy and increase the risk of surveillance.
The disagreement has delayed the adoption of permanent EU legislation since the European Commission first proposed new rules in 2022.
